Hybrid beamforming using butler matrix

Abstract

Various aspects of the disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a wireless communication device can select a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and transmit or receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 043,947, filed on June 25, 2020, entitled “HYBRID BEAMFORMING WITH ABUTLER MATRIX,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 350,564, filed on June 17, 2021, entitled “HYBRID BEAMFORMING WITH A BUTLER MATRIX,” which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications and to techniques and apparatus for hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and long term evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0005] A wireless network may include multiple base stations (BSs) capable of supporting communication for multiple user equipment (UEs). UEs may communicate with a BS via downlinks and uplinks. A "downlink" (or "forward link") refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE, while an "uplink" (or "reverse link") refers to the communication link from the UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS may be referred to as a Node B, gNB, access point (AP), radio head, transmit receive point (TRP), new radio (NR) BS, 5G Node B, etc.

[0006] The aforementioned multiple access technologies have been adopted across various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol that enables diverse user devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. NR, also known as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband internet access by improving spectral efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, and leveraging new spectrum. It utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink (DL) and CP-OFDM and / or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), as well as support for beamforming, multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation for better integration with other open standards. As demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, further improvements to LTE, NR, and other wireless access technologies remain highly valuable. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In some aspects, a wireless communication method performed by a wireless communication device may include: selecting a terminal set of a Butler matrix for sending or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and using hybrid beamforming to send or receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix.

[0008] In some aspects, a wireless communication device for wireless communication may include a Butler matrix, a memory, and one or more processors operably coupled to the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to select a set of terminals of the Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams, and transmit or receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements of an antenna array coupled to the Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming.

[0009] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. When executed by one or more processors of a wireless communication device, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors to select a terminal set of a Butler Matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams, and to transmit or receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler Matrix using hybrid beamforming.

[0010] In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication can include means for selecting a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and means for transmitting or receiving the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming.

[0011] Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and / or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

[0012] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows can be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described below. The disclosed concepts and specific examples can be readily utilized as bases for modifying or designing other for carrying the same purposes thereof. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The features, nature, and organization of the concepts disclosed herein and the manner of their implementation and use can be better understood from the following description together with the accompanying drawings. Each of the drawings is provided for the purpose of illustration and description and not as a definition of limits of the claims.

[0013] While aspects are described in the disclosure by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that these aspects can be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. Techniques described herein can be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects can be implemented via integrated chip embodiments, or other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, or artificial intelligence-enabled devices). Aspects can be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, or system-level components. Devices incorporating described aspects and features can include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspects. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals can include multiple components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders, or summers). It is intended that aspects described herein can be practiced in a wide variety of devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, or end-user devices of different sizes, shapes, and constitution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] For a more complete understanding of the foregoing features of the present disclosure, reference is made to the more particular descriptions that follow in connection with the various aspects and figures described herein. It is appreciated that the figures can not be to scale, per se, and are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the features described herein. Where the context permits, singular or specific

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station in communication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example associated with a beamforming architecture that supports beamforming for millimeter wave communications, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example associated with hybrid beamforming using Butler matrices, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example process associated with hybrid beamforming using Butler matrices, in accordance with the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully below. However, the disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided as illustrative examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these aspects can be implemented in any combination. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or a method can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure, whether implemented independently of any other aspect of the disclosure or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or a method can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any resulting claim, or any combination or set of claims, that specifically and directly indi cates it is meant to embrace both this specific claim and one or more other claims in the disclosure. Further, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any resulting claim, or any combination or set of claims, that specifically and directly indi cates it is meant to embrace both this specific claim and one or more other claims in the disclosure. The disclosure is not to be limited, however, to the specific details required by the figures and specific operating conditions described herein. A person skilled in the art will recognize many appropriate ways of implementing the disclosure. Any implementation encompassed by this disclosure includes both the specific and explicit disclosure as perfected from the dates of the various aspects presented herein, but also specifically includes any equivalents.

[0021] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. It should be noted that while aspects can be described herein using terminology commonly associated with a 5G or NR radio access technology (RAT), aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other RATs, such as a 3G RAT, a 4G RAT, and / or a RAT subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0022] It should be noted that while aspects can be described herein using terminology commonly associated with a 5G or NR radio access technology (RAT), aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other RATs, such as a 3G RAT, a 4G RAT, and / or a RAT subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0023] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. Wireless network 100 can be or can include elements of a 5G (NR) network and / or an LTE network, among other examples. Wireless network 100 can include a number of base stations 110 (shown as BS 110a, BS 110b, BS 110c, and BS 1 lOd) and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity that communicates with user equipment (UE) and can also be referred to as an NR BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G node B (NB), an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), and / or the like. Each BS can provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a BS and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0024] BSs can be referred to as macro BSs, small BSs, femto BSs, pico BSs, and / or other types of BSs. A BS can be a stationary or non-stationary. A BS can also be referred to as a base station, a NR BS, a Node-B, a gNB, a 5G node-B (NB), an access point, a transmit receive point (TRP), and / or the like. Figure 1In the illustrated example, the BS 110a can be a macro BS for a macro cell 102a, the BS 110b can be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and the BS 110c can be a femto BS for a femto cell 102c. A BS can support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB,” “base station,” “NR BS,” “gNB,” “TRP,” “AP,” “Node B,” “5G NB,” and “cell” can be used interchangeably herein.

[0025] In some aspects, a cell can not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell can move according to the location of a mobile BS. In some aspects, BSs can be interconnected to one another and / or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 using any suitable transport network, such as a direct physical connection, or a virtual network.

[0026] Wireless network 100 can also include relay stations. A relay station is an entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station can also be a UE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown, a relay BS 1 lOd can communicate with macro BS 110a and a UE 120d in order to facilitate communications between BS 110a and UE 120d. A relay BS can also be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay, or the like. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the relay BS 110d can communicate with the macro BS 110a and a UE 120d in order to facilitate communications between the BS 110a and the UE 120d. A relay BS can also be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay, or the like.

[0027] Wireless network 100 can be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs of different types, such as macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, or the like. These different types of BSs can have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs can have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relay BSs can have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0028] A network controller 130 can couple to a set of BSs and can provide coordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 can communicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs can also communicate with one another directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

[0029] The UEs 120 (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120c) can be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be stationary or mobile. A UE can also be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE can be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, biometric sensors / devices, wearable devices (smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0030] Some UEs can be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEs include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, and / or location tags, that can communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. A wireless node can provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some UEs can be considered Intemet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and / or can be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband

[0031] In general, any number of wireless networks can be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network can support a particular RAT and can operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT can also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, etc. A frequency can also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, etc. Each frequency can support a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks can be deployed.

[0032] In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) can communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with one another). For example, UE 120 can communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocols (which can include vehicle-to- vehicle (V2V) protocols or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocols), and / or mesh networking. In this case, UE 120 can perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by base station 110.

[0033] Devices of wireless network 100 can use electromagnetic spectrum for communications, which can be subdivided, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, and / or the like. For example, devices of wireless network 100 can communicate using operating bands having a first frequency range (FR1) that can span from 410 MHz to 7.125 GHz and / or can communicate using operating bands having a second frequency range (FR2) that can span from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to as a “sub-6 GHz” frequency band. Similarly, FR2 is often referred to as a “millimeter wave” frequency band despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) frequency band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is also sometimes referred to as a “millimeter wave” frequency band by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “sub-6 GHz” or like terminology used herein can broadly represent frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencies within FR1, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz). Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “millimeter wave” or like terminology used herein can broadly represent frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2, and / or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). It is contemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 can be modified, and techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequencies ranges.

[0034] As described above, Figure 1 are provided as examples. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to at least one of the Figure 1 described examples.

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example 200 of a base station 110 in communication with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100, in accordance with the present disclosure. The base station 110 can be equipped with T antennas 234a through 234t, and the UE 120 can be equipped with R antennas 252a through 252r, where in general T > 1 and R > 1.

[0036] At the base station 110, a transmit processor 220 can receive data from a data source 212 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 220 can also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and can provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 232a through 232t. Each modulator 232 can process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 232 can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 232a through 232t can be transmitted via T antennas 234a through 234t, respectively.

[0037] At the UE 120, the antennas 252a through 252r can receive the downlink signals from the base station 110 and / or other base stations and can provide received signals to the demodulators (DEMODs) 254a through 254r, respectively. Each demodulator 254 can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 can obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 254a through 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 can process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 280. The term “controller / processor” can refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or combinations thereof. A channel processor can determine reference signal received power (RSRP) parameters, receive signal strength indicator (RSSI) parameters, reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ) parameters, and / or CQI parameters, among other examples. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120 can be included in a housing.

[0038] The network controller 130 can include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 can include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 can communicate with the base station 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0039] Antennas (e.g., antennas 234a through 234t and / or antennas 252a through 252r) can include or can be included in one or more antenna panels, antenna groups, antenna element sets, and / or antenna arrays, among other examples. An antenna panel, antenna group, antenna element set, and / or antenna array can include one or more antenna elements. An antenna panel, antenna group, antenna element set, and / or antenna array can include a set of co-planar antenna elements and / or a set of non-co-planar antenna elements. An antenna panel, antenna group, antenna element set, and / or antenna array can include antenna elements within a single housing and / or antenna elements within multiple housings. An antenna panel, antenna group, antenna element set, and / or antenna array can include one or more antenna elements coupled to one or more transmit and / or receive components (such as one or more components in the transceiver 288 and / or the communication unit 294) in a housing. Figure 2

[0040] ​On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 can receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports that include RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and / or CQI) from controller / processor 280. Transmit processor 264 can also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from transmit processor 264 can be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by modulators 254a through 254r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to base station 110. In some aspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g., MOD / DEMOD 254) of the UE 120 can be included in a modem of the UE 120. In some aspects, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver can include any combination of antenna(s) 252, modulators and / or demodulators 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and / or TX MIMO processor 266. The processor (e.g., controller / processor 280) and memory 282 can use the transceiver to perform any of the aspects of the methods described herein (for example, as described with reference to Figures 4-6 FIGS. 19A and 19B).

[0041] At base station 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs can be received by antennas 234, processed by demodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by UE 120. Receive processor 238 can provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller / processor 240. Base station 110 can include communication unit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communication unit 244. Base station 110 can include scheduler 246 to schedule UEs 120 for downlink and / or uplink communications. In some aspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g., MOD / DEMOD 232) of the base station 110 can be included in a modem of the base station 110. In some aspects, the base station 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver can include any combination of antenna(s) 234, modulators and / or demodulators 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, and / or TX MIMO processor 230. The processor (e.g., controller / processor 240) and memory 242 can use the transceiver to perform any of the aspects of the methods described herein (for example, as described with reference to Figures 4-6 FIGS. 19A and 19B).

[0042] The controller / processor 240 of base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of UE 120, and / or any other component(s) of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19A, and / or 19B can perform one or more processes described herein.Figure 2 Any other components of the controller / processor 240 of the base station 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or the like may perform one or more techniques associated with hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. Figure 2 Any other component in the can perform or direct e.g. Figure 6 600 and / or other processes as described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and UE 120, respectively. In some aspects, memory 242 and / or memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and / or program code) for wireless communications. For example, when one or more instructions are executed (e.g., directly or after compilation, conversion, and / or interpretation) by one or more processors of base station 110 and / or UE 120, the one or more instructions may cause the one or more processors, UE 120, and / or base station 110 to perform or direct, for example, Figure 6 The operations of process 600 and / or other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executing instructions may include running instructions, converting instructions, compiling instructions, and / or interpreting instructions, etc.

[0043] In some aspects, a wireless communication device (e.g., UE 120, base station 110, etc.) may include means for selecting a terminal set of a Butler Matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; means for transmitting or receiving one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler Matrix using hybrid beamforming; and / or the like. In some aspects, such means may include combining Figure 2 One or more components of the UE 120 described herein, such as the controller / processor 280, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, MOD 254, antenna 252, DEMOD 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, etc. In some aspects, such components may include a combination of Figure 2 One or more components of base station 110 are depicted, such as antenna 234, DEMOD 232, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, MOD 232, antenna 234, and the like.

[0044] Although Figure 2The blocks in are shown as distinct components, but the functionality described above in relation to the blocks can be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combined component, or in various combinations of components. For example, the functionality described in relation to transmit processor 264, receive processor 258, and / or TX MIMO processor 266 can be performed by or under the control of controller / processor 280.

[0045] As described above, Figure 2 are provided as examples. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to at least one of the described examples. Figure 2

[0046] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example beamforming architecture 300 that supports beamforming for millimeter wave (mmW) communications in accordance with the present disclosure. In some aspects, architecture 300 can implement aspects of wireless network 100. In some aspects, architecture 300 can be implemented in a transmitting device (e.g., a first wireless communication device, UE, or base station) and / or a receiving device (e.g., a second wireless communication device, UE, or base station), as described herein.

[0047] Generally, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating example hardware components of a wireless communication device in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The illustrated components can include components that can be used for antenna element selection and / or beamforming for wireless signal transmission. There are many architectures for antenna element selection and implementing phase shifts, only one example of which is shown herein. Architecture 300 includes a modem (modulator / demodulator) 302, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 304, a first mixer 306, a second mixer 308, and a splitter 310. Architecture 300 also includes a plurality of first amplifiers 312, a plurality of phase shifters 314, a plurality of second amplifiers 316, and an antenna array 318 including a plurality of antenna elements 320.

[0048] Transmission lines or other waveguides, wires, traces, and / or the like are shown connecting the various components to illustrate how signals to be transmitted travel between the components. Reference numbers 322, 324, 326, and 328 represent regions in which different types of signals travel or are processed in architecture 300. Specifically, reference number 322 represents a region in which digital baseband signals travel or are processed, reference number 324 represents a region in which analog baseband signals travel or are processed, reference number 326 represents a region in which analog intermediate frequency (IF) signals travel or are processed, and reference number 328 represents a region in which analog radio frequency (RF) signals travel or are processed. The architecture also includes a local oscillator A 330, a local oscillator B 332, and a wireless communication device 334.

[0049] ​Each antenna element 320 can include one or more sub-elements for radiating or receiving RF signals. For example, a single antenna element 320 can include a first sub-element that is cross-polarized with a second sub-element, which can be used to independently transmit cross-polarized signals. The antenna elements 320 can include patch antenna elements, dipole antenna elements, or other types of antenna elements arranged in a linear pattern, a two-dimensional pattern, or another pattern. The spacing between the antenna elements 320 can be such that signals having a desired wavelength that are individually transmitted by the antenna elements 320 can interact or interfere with one another (e.g., to form a desired beam). For example, given an expected range of wavelengths or frequencies, the spacing can provide a quarter wavelength, a half wavelength, or other fraction of a wavelength of the spacing between adjacent antenna elements 320 to allow for interaction or interference of signals transmitted by individual antenna elements 320 within the expected range.

[0050] The modem 302 processes and generates digital baseband signals, and can also control the operation of the DAC 304, the first and second mixers 306, 308, the splitter 310, the first amplifier 312, the phase shifter 314, and / or the second amplifier 316 to transmit signals via one or more or all of the antenna elements 320. The modem 302 can process signals and control operations in accordance with a communication standard, such as the wireless standards discussed herein. The DAC 304 can convert digital baseband signals received from the modem 302 (and signals to be transmitted) into analog baseband signals. The first mixer 306 upconverts the analog baseband signals to analog IF signals within an IF using a local oscillator A 330. For example, the first mixer 306 can mix the signals with an oscillating signal generated by the local oscillator A 330 to “move” the baseband analog signals to the IF. In some cases, some processing or filtering (not shown) can be performed at the IF. The second mixer 308 upconverts the analog IF signals to analog RF signals using a local oscillator B 332. Similar to the first mixer, the second mixer 308 can mix the signals with an oscillating signal generated by the local oscillator B 332 to “move” the IF analog signals to the RF or the frequency at which the signals will be transmitted or received. The modem 302 and / or the wireless communication device 334 can adjust the frequency of the local oscillator A 330 and / or the local oscillator B 332 to produce a desired IF and / or RF frequency, which is used to facilitate the processing and transmission of signals within a desired bandwidth.

[0051] In the illustrated architecture 300, the signal upconverted by the second mixer 308 is split or duplicated into multiple signals by a splitter 310. The splitter 310 in the architecture 300 splits the RF signal into multiple identical or nearly identical RF signals. In other examples, the splitting can occur on any type of signal, including baseband digital, baseband analog, or IF analog signals. Each of these signals can correspond to an antenna element 320, and the signal travels through and is processed by an amplifier 312, 316, a phase shifter 314, and / or other elements corresponding to the respective antenna element 320 to be provided to and transmitted by the corresponding antenna element 320 of the antenna array 318. In one example, the splitter 310 can be an active splitter that is connected to a power source and provides some gain such that the power level of the RF signal leaving the splitter 310 is equal to or greater than the signal entering the splitter 310. In another example, the splitter 310 is a passive splitter that is not connected to a power source, and the RF signal leaving the splitter 310 can be at a lower power level than the RF signal entering the splitter 310.

[0052] After being split by the splitter 310, the resulting RF signals can enter an amplifier, such as the first amplifier 312 or the phase shifter 314 corresponding to the antenna element 320. The first and second amplifiers 312, 316 are shown with dashed lines because in certain aspects one or both of them can not be necessary. In some aspects, both the first amplifier 312 and the second amplifier 316 are present. In some aspects, neither the first amplifier 312 nor the second amplifier 316 is present. In some aspects, one of the two amplifiers 312, 316 is present and the other is not. For example, if the splitter 310 is an active splitter, then the first amplifier 312 can not be used. As a further example, if the phase shifter 314 is an active phase shifter that can provide gain, then the second amplifier 316 can not be used.

[0053] The amplifiers 312, 316 can provide a desired level of positive or negative gain. Positive gain (positive dB) can be used to increase the amplitude of the signal radiated by a particular antenna element 320. Negative gain (negative dB) can be used to decrease the amplitude of the signal radiated by a particular antenna element and / or to suppress the signal radiation by a particular antenna element. Each of the amplifiers 312, 316 can be independently controlled (e.g., by the modem 302 or the wireless communication device 334) to provide independent control of the gain for each antenna element 320. For example, the modem 302 and / or the wireless communication device 334 can have at least one control line connected to each of the splitter 310, the first amplifier 312, the phase shifter 314, and / or the second amplifier 316 that can be used to configure the gain in order to provide a desired amount of gain for each component and thus for each antenna element 320.

[0054] The phase shifters 314 can provide a configurable phase shift or phase offset to the corresponding RF signals to be transmitted. The phase shifters 314 can be passive phase shifters that are not directly connected to a power source. Passive phase shifters can introduce some insertion loss. The second amplifiers 316 can boost the signals to compensate for the insertion loss. The phase shifters 314 can be active phase shifters that are connected to a power source such that the active phase shifters provide an amount of gain or prevent insertion loss. The setting of each phase shifter 314 is independent, meaning each can be independently set to provide a desired amount of phase shift or the same amount of phase shift or some other configuration. The modem 302 and / or the wireless communication device 334 can have at least one control line connected to each phase shifter 314 that can be used to configure the phase shifters 314 to provide a desired amount of phase shift or phase offset between the antenna elements 320.

[0055] In the illustrated architecture 300, the RF signals received by the antenna elements 320 are provided to one or more first amplifiers 356 to boost the signal strength. The first amplifiers 356 can be connected to the same antenna array 318 (e.g., for time division duplex (TDD) operation). The first amplifiers 356 can be connected to different antenna arrays 318. The boosted RF signals are input into one or more phase shifters 354 to provide a configurable phase shift or phase offset for the corresponding received RF signals to enable reception via one or more Rx beams. The phase shifters 354 can be active phase shifters or passive phase shifters. The setting of the phase shifters 354 is independent, meaning each can be independently set to provide a desired amount of phase shift or the same amount of phase shift or some other configuration. The modem 302 and / or the wireless communication device 334 can have at least one control line connected to each phase shifter 354 that can be used to configure the phase shifters to provide a desired amount of phase shift or phase offset between the antenna elements 320 to enable reception via one or more Rx beams.

[0056] The outputs of the phase shifters 354 can be input to one or more second amplifiers 352 for signal amplification of the phase-shifted received RF signals. The second amplifiers 352 can be individually configured to provide a configured amount of gain. The second amplifiers 352 can be individually configured to provide an amount of gain to ensure that the signals input to the combiner 350 have the same amplitude. The amplifiers 352 and / or 356 are shown in dashed lines because in certain aspects they can not be necessary. In some aspects, both amplifiers 352 and 356 are present. In another aspect, neither amplifier 352 nor 356 is present. In other aspects, one of the amplifiers 352, 356 is present and the other is not.

[0057] In the illustrated architecture 300, the signals output by the phase shifters 354 (via the amplifiers 352, when present) are combined in a combiner 350. The combiner 350 in the architecture 300 combines the RF signals into one signal. The combiner 350 can be a passive combiner (e.g., not connected to a power source), which can result in some insertion loss. The combiner 350 can be an active combiner (e.g., connected to a power source), which can result in some signal gain. When the combiner 350 is an active combiner, it can provide different (e.g., configurable) amounts of gain for each input signal, such that the input signals have the same amplitude when combined. When the combiner 350 is an active combiner, the combiner 350 can not need a second amplifier 352, as the active combiner can provide signal amplification.

[0058] The output of the combiner 350 is input to mixers 348 and 346. The mixers 348 and 346 typically down-convert the received RF signals using inputs from local oscillators 372 and 370, respectively, to create intermediate or baseband signals that carry the encoded and modulated information. The outputs of the mixers 348 and 346 are input to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 344 for conversion to analog signals. The analog signals output from the ADC 344 are input to the modem 302 for baseband processing, such as decoding, de-interleaving, etc.

[0059] The architecture 300 is given by way of example only, to illustrate an architecture for transmitting and / or receiving signals. In some cases, the architecture 300 and / or each portion of the architecture 300 can be repeated multiple times within an architecture to accommodate or provide any number of RF chains, antenna elements, and / or antenna panels. Moreover, many alternative architectures are possible and contemplated. For example, although only a single antenna array 318 is shown, two, three, or more antenna arrays can be included, each with one or more of their own corresponding amplifiers, phase shifters, splitters, mixers, DACs, ADCs, and / or modems. For example, a single UE can include two, four, or more antenna arrays for transmitting or receiving signals at different physical locations on the UE or in different directions.

[0060] Further, in the architecture of different implementations, mixers, splitters, amplifiers, phase shifters, and other components can be located in different signal type regions (e.g., represented by different reference numbers in 322, 324, 326, 328). For example, in different examples, splitting of a signal to be transmitted into multiple signals can occur at an analog RF, an analog IF, an analog baseband, or a digital baseband frequency. Similarly, amplification and / or phase shifting can also occur at different frequencies. For example, in some aspects, one or more of the splitter 310, the amplifiers 312, 316, or the phase shifter 314 can be located between the DAC 304 and the first mixer 306, or between the first mixer 306 and the second mixer 308. In one example, the functionality of one or more of the components can be combined into one component. For example, the phase shifter 314 can perform amplification to include or replace the first and / or second amplifiers 312, 316. As another example, the phase shift can be implemented by the second mixer 308 to avoid the need for a separate phase shifter 314. This technique is sometimes referred to as local oscillator (LO) phase shifting. In some aspects of this configuration, there can be multiple IF-to-RF mixers within the second mixer 308 (e.g., one for each antenna element chain), and the local oscillator B 332 can provide a different local oscillator signal (with a different phase offset) to each IF-to-RF mixer.

[0061] The modem 302 and / or the wireless communication device 334 can control one or more of the other components 304-372 to select one or more antenna elements 320 and / or to form a beam for transmission of one or more signals. For example, by controlling the amplitude of one or more corresponding amplifiers, such as the first amplifier 312 and / or the second amplifier 316, an antenna element 320 can be individually selected or deselected for transmission of a signal (or signals). Beamforming includes using multiple signals on different antenna elements to generate a beam, where one or more or all of the multiple signals are phase shifted relative to each other. The formed beam can carry a physical or higher layer reference signal or information. As each of the multiple signals radiates from a corresponding antenna element 320, the radiated signals interact, interfere (constructively and destructively), and amplify each other to form a resulting beam. The shape (such as the amplitude, width, and / or presence of side lobes) and direction (such as the angle of the beam relative to the surface of the antenna array 318) can be dynamically controlled by modifying the phase shift or phase offset imparted by the phase shifter 314 and the amplitude imparted by the amplifiers 312, 316 to the multiple signals relative to each other. The wireless communication device 334 can be located partially or entirely within one or more of the other components of the architecture 300. For example, in some aspects, the wireless communication device 334 can be located within the modem 302.

[0062] As described above,Figure 3 are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described in Figure 3 Examples described.

[0063] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with a beamforming architecture supporting beamforming for millimeter wave communications according to the present disclosure. Figure 4 The example shown in shows a beamforming architecture for receive communications, but a similar architecture can also be used for transmit communications.

[0064] like Figure 4 As shown by reference numeral 405, the wireless communication device may be configured with an architecture for full analog beamforming. The architecture for full analog beamforming may include receiving a signal transmitted by N Rx The amplifier amplifies one or more signal streams N Rx antenna elements. An architecture for fully analog beamforming may include splitting one or more signal streams into N streams N of the streams Rx splitters. One or more streams from each splitter can be processed by a corresponding phase shifter. This may require N Rx ×N streams phase shifters. The common flow from each splitter can be represented by N streams The common stream can be processed by N mixers and / or ADCs. streams ×N CCs The common stream can then be processed by N digital filters. streams ×N CCs Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) components are processed to produce N streams ×N CCs FFT of each component carrier of each of the streams. This may produce N streams ×N FFr samples for further processing.

[0065] As shown at reference numeral 410, the wireless communication device may be configured with an architecture for all-digital beamforming. The architecture for all-digital beamforming may include receiving a Rx N amplifiers amplify one or more signal streams Rx antenna elements. The signal from each amplifier can be Rx The common stream from the mixers and / or ADCs can be processed by the receiver N Rx signals and output N streams N of the streams CCs N digital beamformers to process. streams The streams can be composed of N streams ×N CCsThe N streams ×N CCs streams can then be processed by N streams ×N CCs FFT components to produce an FFT for each component carrier for each of the N streams ×N FFT ×N cC samples for further processing. In certain aspects, a fully digital phased array can generate negligible insertion loss.

[0066] As shown by reference number 415, a wireless communication device can be configured with an architecture for hybrid beamforming. The architecture for hybrid beamforming can include N Rx antenna elements that receive one or more signal streams amplified by N Rx amplifiers. The antenna elements can be grouped (e.g., shown as groups of 4) into groups of M Hybrid antenna elements for hybrid beamforming. The signals from each amplifier in a group can be processed by a hybrid and / or ADC. The architecture for hybrid beamforming can have NR x / M Hybrid hybrids and / or ADCs. The common streams from the hybrids and / or ADCs can be processed by N Rx / M Hybrid digital beamformers that receive N Streatms streams and output N CCs streams. The N Streams streams can be processed by N streams ×N CCs digital filters. The digitally filtered streams can then be processed by N streams ×N Ccs FFT components to produce an FFT for each component carrier for each of the N streams ×N CCs streams. This can result in N streams ×N FFT ×N cC samples for further processing.

[0067] The above-described architectures provide advantages in different applications (e.g., with different numbers of streams, different allowable power supplies, different signal strength communications, etc.). However, for each of the described architectures, communications using multiple links can have high power consumption. For wireless communication devices that rely on battery power, have limited heat dissipation capabilities, etc., excessive power consumption can render architectures for transmitting and / or receiving multiple streams impractical.

[0068] As described above, Figure 4are provided as examples. Other examples may differ from those described in Figure 4 Examples described.

[0069] In some aspects described herein, a wireless communication device may utilize one or more Butler matrices in an architecture for hybrid beamforming. Figure 4 In a hybrid beamforming architecture, a Butler matrix may be used in place of the phase shifter shown at 415. In some aspects, the architecture for hybrid beamforming may include a switch coupled to terminals of the Butler matrix. The switch coupled to the Butler matrix may be configured to terminate signals from a first set of terminals (e.g., selected based at least in part on input from a wireless communication device) and provide signals from a second set of terminals to another component for additional processing.

[0070] Based at least in part on the use of one or more Butler matrices in an architecture for hybrid beamforming, a wireless communication device can reduce power consumption, increase the number of receivable streams (e.g., for higher throughput), form narrower beamwidths, provide higher spectral efficiency, and the like, when compared to other architectures for beamforming. For example, by replacing phase shifter arrays with Butler matrices in an architecture for hybrid beamforming, a wireless communication device can allow for an increased number of links and / or similar power consumption. In some aspects, an architecture for hybrid beamforming using one or more Butler matrices can be used to communicate using narrower beamwidths when compared to an architecture for hybrid beamforming using the same number of links with one or more phase shifter arrays. In some aspects where the links do not overlap (e.g., the links are in different directions), a digital beamformer can be omitted (e.g., a signal can be passed rather than processed). In this manner, a UE can reduce power consumption, which facilitates practical use of multi-link communications. This can improve spectral efficiency for communicating with a wireless communication device.

[0071] Figure 5 1 is a diagram illustrating an example associated with hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix according to the present disclosure. A wireless communication device (eg, base station 110, UE 120, etc.) may communicate with another wireless communication device using an architecture for hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix.

[0072] like Figure 5 As shown and indicated by reference numeral 505, an architecture for hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix may include receiving one or more N Rx The signal flow amplified by the amplifier is N Rx In some aspects, N Rx The antenna elements can be coupled to N Rxamplifiers for transmitting signals via one or more beams. The antenna elements can be grouped (e.g., shown as groups of 4) into groups of size M Hybrid antenna elements for hybrid beamforming.

[0073] As shown by reference number 510, the antenna elements can be coupled to antenna terminals of a Butler matrix. The wireless communication device can have N Rx / M Hybrid Butler matrices. In some aspects, respective groups of antenna elements can be coupled to antenna terminals of the Butler matrix. The Butler matrix can be a M Hybrid ×M Hybrid Butler matrix (e.g., a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, a 16x16 Butler matrix, etc.). The Butler matrix can be configured to passively apply (e.g., apply without receiving input from the wireless communication device) beam steering by applying different phase shifts to signals on different terminals of the Butler matrix. In this way, the terminals can represent orthogonal beam ports. The Butler matrix can be configured to apply a constant phase difference and / or a uniform distribution to signals on different terminals before providing the signals to the group of antenna elements, or to signals received from the group of antenna elements.

[0074] As shown by reference number 515, the Butler matrix can be coupled to a switch. The switch can be configured with M Hybrid terminals coupled to the Butler matrix and N Swit terminals opposite the Butler matrix. In some aspects, the switch can be configured to select N Hybrid terminals of the M Switch terminals to couple to the N Switch terminals. For example, the switch can receive input from the wireless communication device to select the N Switch terminals.

[0075] As shown by reference number 520, the N Switch terminals of the switch can be coupled to N Switch mixers and / or ADCs. In some aspects, the mixers and / or ADCs can be used to combine signals from one or more of the N Switch terminals, and / or can convert signals from analog signals to digital signals. In some aspects, the N Switch terminals of the switch can be coupled to digital-to-analog converters to convert digital signals from the wireless communication device to analog signals before providing the signals to the antenna elements via the Butler matrix and / or the switch.

[0076] As shown by reference number 525, a mixer and / or an ADC converter can be coupled to the N Rx x N Switch / M Hybrid terminals and the N CC digital beamformers for processing the signals into N Streams In some aspects, N Rx x N Switch / M Hybrid = N Streams and the digital beamformers can be passive (e.g., can not process the signals). In some aspects where the streams do not overlap (e.g., the streams have spatial diversity) and N Rx x N Switch / M Hybrid = N Streams digital beamforming can not be needed to separate the streams. In some aspects, digital beamforming can be applied to overlapping streams, but not non-overlapping streams. In this way, the wireless communication device can conserve power resources.

[0077] As shown by reference number 530, the N Streams terminals of the digital beamformers can be coupled to N streams x N CCs digital filters. As shown by reference number 535, the digitally filtered streams can then be processed by N strams x N CCs FFT components to produce an FFT for each component carrier for each of the N streams x N CCs streams. This can result in N streams x N FFT x N CC samples for further processing.

[0078] As described above, Figure 5 are provided as examples. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to at least one of the Figure 5 described examples.

[0079] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example process 600 performed, for example, by a wireless communication device, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 600 is an example of a wireless communication device (e.g., base station 110, UE 120, etc.) performing operations associated with hybrid beamforming using a Butler matrix.

[0080] As Figure 6As shown, in some aspects, process 600 may include selecting a terminal set of a Butler Matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams (block 610). For example, as described above, the wireless communication device (e.g., using receive processor 238, transmit processor 220, controller / processor 240, memory 242, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller / processor 280, memory 282, etc.) may select a terminal set of a Butler Matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams.

[0081] like Figure 6 As further shown in FIG6 , in some aspects, process 600 may include transmitting or receiving one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to a Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming (block 620). For example, as described above, a wireless communication device (e.g., using receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, controller / processor 280, memory 282, etc.) may transmit or receive one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to a Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming.

[0082] Process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below, and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0083] In a first aspect, sending or receiving one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to a Butler matrix includes receiving the one or more streams, and receiving the one or more streams includes receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, and providing the one or more streams to a switch.

[0084] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 600 includes providing one or more streams to one or more mixers and one or more analog-to-digital converters, and performing digital beamforming on the one or more streams via a digital beamformer.

[0085] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, sending or receiving the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to a Butler matrix includes sending the one or more streams, and sending the one or more streams includes performing digital beamforming on the one or more streams via a digital beamformer, providing the one or more streams to a set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and sending the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements.

[0086] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the process 600 includes providing the one or more streams to a mixer and a digital-to-analog converter; and providing the one or more streams to an amplifier prior to transmitting the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements.

[0087] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the Butler matrix includes a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix.

[0088] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, the Butler matrix includes a first terminal coupled to each antenna of the antenna array and a second terminal coupled to the switch.

[0089] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the Butler matrix is configured to receive one or more communications via the one or more streams, and the additional Butler matrix is configured to transmit one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams.

[0090] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the Butler matrix is configured to receive one or more communications via the one or more streams, the additional Butler matrix of the wireless communication device is further configured to receive one or more communications via the one or more streams as received via the additional set of antenna elements, a number of output ports of the switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix is equal to a product of a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the additional set of antenna elements and the number of output ports of the switch is equal to a number of streams of the one or more streams, and receiving the one or more streams includes receiving the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

[0091] Although Figure 6 Although Figure 6 In some aspects, the process 600 can include more, fewer, or different blocks than those depicted in FIG. 6. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of the process 600 can be performed in parallel.

[0092] The following provides an overview of some aspects of the disclosure:

[0093] Aspect 1 : A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, comprising: selecting a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and transmitting or receiving the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix using hybrid beamforming.

[0094] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein transmitting or receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix comprises receiving the one or more streams, and wherein receiving the one or more streams comprises receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, and providing the one or more streams to a switch.

[0095] Aspect 3: The method of aspect 2, further comprising: providing the one or more streams to one or more mixers and one or more analog-to-digital converters; and performing digital beamforming on the one or more streams via a digital beamformer.

[0096] Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1-3, wherein transmitting or receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix comprises transmitting the one or more streams, and wherein transmitting the one or more streams comprises performing digital beamforming on the one or more streams via a digital beamformer, providing the one or more streams to the set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and transmitting the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements.

[0097] Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, further comprising: providing the one or more streams to a mixer and a digital-to-analog converter; and providing the one or more streams to an amplifier prior to transmitting the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements.

[0098] Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1-5, wherein the Butler matrix comprises a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix.

[0099] Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein the Butler matrix comprises a first terminal coupled to each antenna of an antenna array and a second terminal coupled to a switch.

[0100] Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1-7, wherein the Butler matrix is configured to receive one or more communications via the one or more streams, and wherein an additional Butler matrix is configured to transmit one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams.

[0101] Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1-8, wherein the Butler matrix is configured to receive one or more communications via one or more streams, as received via a set of antenna elements, wherein an additional Butler matrix of the wireless communication device is further configured to receive one or more communications via one or more streams, as received via an additional set of antenna elements, wherein a number of output ports of a switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix is equal to a product of a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the additional set of antenna elements and a number of output ports of the switch, and wherein the receiving the one or more streams comprises receiving the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

[0102] Aspect 10: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a Butler matrix, a processor; a memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-9.

[0103] Aspect 11: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-9.

[0104] Aspect 12: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more of Aspects 1-9.

[0105] Aspect 13: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-9.

[0106] Aspect 14: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-9.

[0107] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations can be made in light of the above disclosure or from practice thereof, and may

[0108] As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly interpreted to encompass hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. “Software” shall be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, and / or functions, among other examples, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. As used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systems and / or methods described herein can be implemented in different forms of hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code — it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein.

[0109] As used herein, depending on the context, satisfying a threshold can refer to a value that is greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, and / or the like.

[0110] Even if a particular combination is recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of the various aspects. Indeed, many of the features can be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependent claim listed below can directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of each dependent claim includes each other claim in the set of claims. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of’ a list of items means any combination of those items, including single members. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination of multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0111] No element, act or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and can be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items unless otherwise indicated. Also, as used herein, the term “set” and “group” is intended to include one or more items (for example, related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related and unrelated items), and can be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and can be used interchangeably with “and / or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of’).

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a wireless communication device, comprising: selecting a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and performing hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix, where performing hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix comprises: receiving the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix, providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix based on receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, providing the one or more streams to a switch based on providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, providing the one or more streams to one or more mixers based on providing the one or more streams to the switch, where the one or more streams are combined via the one or more mixers to form one or more combined streams, providing the one or more combined streams to one or more analog-to-digital converters based on providing the one or more streams to the one or more mixers, and performing digital beamforming on one or more overlapping streams and not one or more non-overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams based on providing the one or more combined streams to the one or more analog-to-digital converters.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing digital beamforming on one or more other streams via a digital beamformer, providing the one or more other streams to the set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and transmitting the one or more other streams via the set of antenna elements.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: providing the one or more other streams to a mixer and a digital-to-analog converter; and providing the one or more other streams to an amplifier prior to transmitting the one or more other streams via the set of antenna elements. the Butler matrix comprises a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix. the Butler matrix comprises a first terminal coupled to each antenna of an antenna array and a second terminal coupled to the switch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams via the Butler matrix, and transmitting one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams via an additional Butler matrix.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via the set of antenna elements, receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via an additional set of antenna elements coupled to an additional Butler matrix of the wireless communication device, ​ ​ wherein a product of a number of first output ports of a switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix, a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the set of additional antenna elements, and a number of second output ports of the switch is equal to a number of streams of the one or more streams, and wherein receiving the one or more streams comprises receiving the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process on the one or more overlapping streams based on performing the digital beamforming on the one or more overlapping streams.

9. A wireless communication device for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to cause the wireless communication device to: select a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and perform hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix, wherein to cause the wireless communication device to perform hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix, the one or more processors are configured to cause the wireless communication device to: receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix, provide the one or more streams to the Butler matrix based on receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, provide the one or more streams to a switch based on providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, provide the one or more streams to one or more mixers based on the one or more streams being provided to the switch, wherein the one or more streams are combined via the one or more mixers to form one or more combined streams, provide the one or more combined streams to one or more analog-to-digital converters based on the one or more streams being provided to the one or more mixers, and perform digital beamforming on one or more overlapping streams without performing digital beamforming on one or more non-overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams based on the one or more combined streams being provided to the one or more analog-to-digital converters.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the wireless communication device to: provide one or more other streams to a digital beamformer for digital beamforming, the one or more other streams being provided to the set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and transmit the one or more other streams via the set of antenna elements.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 10, wherein, the one or more processors are further configured to cause the wireless communication device to: provide the one or more other streams to a mixer and a digital-to-analog converter; and provide the one or more other streams to an amplifier prior to the one or more other streams being transmitted via the set of antenna elements.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein, The Butler matrix includes a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein, The Butler matrix includes a first terminal coupled to each antenna of the set of antenna elements and a second terminal coupled to the switch.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein, The Butler matrix is configured to receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams, and wherein an additional Butler matrix is configured to transmit one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein, The Butler matrix is configured to receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via the set of antenna elements, wherein an additional Butler matrix of the wireless communication device is further configured to receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via an additional set of antenna elements, wherein a product of a number of first output ports of a switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix, a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the additional set of antenna elements, and a number of second output ports of the switch is equal to a number of streams of the one or more streams, and wherein to cause the wireless communication device to receive the one or more streams, the one or more processors are configured to cause the wireless communication device to receive the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the wireless communication device to: perform a fast Fourier transform (FFT) process on the one or more overlapping streams based on performing the digital beamforming on the one or more overlapping streams.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a wireless communication device, cause the wireless communication device to: select a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and perform hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix, wherein the one or more instructions that cause the wireless communication device to perform hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix cause the wireless communication device to: receive the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix, provide the one or more streams to the Butler matrix based on receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, provide the one or more streams to a switch based on providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, provide the one or more streams to one or more mixers based on providing the one or more streams to the switch, wherein the one or more streams are combined via the one or more mixers to form one or more combined streams, ​ based on providing the one or more combined streams to the one or more analog-to-digital converters, performing digital beamforming on one or more overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams and not on one or more non-overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the wireless communication device to: perform digital beamforming on one or more other streams via a digital beamformer, provide the one or more other streams to the set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and transmit the one or more other streams via the set of antenna elements. the Butler matrix comprises a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, the one or more instructions further cause the wireless communication device to:

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams, and transmit one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams. the one or more instructions further cause the wireless communication device to:

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams, the one or more streams being received via the set of antenna elements, and receive the one or more communications via the one or more streams, the one or more streams being received via an additional set of antenna elements of an additional Butler matrix coupled to the wireless communication device, wherein a product of a number of first output ports of a switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix, a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the additional set of antenna elements, and a number of second output ports of the switch is equal to a number of streams of the one or more streams, and wherein the one or more instructions that cause the wireless communication device to receive the one or more streams cause the wireless communication device to receive the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the wireless communication device to: based on providing the one or more combined streams to the one or more analog-to-digital converters, provide one or more overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams to a digital beamformer for digital beamforming.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the wireless communication device to: provide the one or more streams to a mixer and a digital-to-analog converter; and provide the one or more streams to an amplifier prior to transmitting the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements. the one or more instructions that cause the wireless communication device to transmit the one or more additional communications cause the wireless communication device to:

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein, transmit the one or more additional communications via an additional Butler matrix. ​ 25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, The Butler matrix includes a first terminal coupled to each antenna of the set of antenna elements and a second terminal coupled to the switch.

26. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for selecting a set of terminals of a Butler matrix for transmitting or receiving one or more communications via one or more streams associated with one or more beams; and means for performing hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix, wherein the means for performing hybrid beamforming using the Butler matrix comprises: means for receiving the one or more streams via a set of antenna elements coupled to the Butler matrix, means for providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix based on receiving the one or more streams via the set of antenna elements, means for providing the one or more streams to a switch based on providing the one or more streams to the Butler matrix, means for providing the one or more streams to one or more mixers based on providing the one or more streams to the switch, wherein the one or more streams are combined via the one or more mixers to form one or more combined streams, means for providing the one or more combined streams to one or more analog-to-digital converters based on providing the one or more streams to the one or more mixers, and means for performing digital beamforming on one or more overlapping streams and not on one or more non-overlapping streams of the one or more combined streams based on providing the one or more combined streams to the one or more analog-to-digital converters.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising: means for performing digital beamforming on one or more other streams via a digital beamformer, means for providing the one or more other streams to the set of terminals of the Butler matrix, and means for transmitting the one or more other streams via the set of antenna elements.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein, The Butler matrix comprises a 2x2 Butler matrix, a 3x3 Butler matrix, a 4x4 Butler matrix, an 8x8 Butler matrix, a 9x9 Butler matrix, or a 16x16 Butler matrix.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising means for receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams, and means for transmitting one or more additional communications via one or more additional streams.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising means for receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via the set of antenna elements, means for receiving the one or more communications via the one or more streams received via a set of additional antenna elements coupled to an additional Butler matrix, wherein a product of a number of first output ports of a switch coupled to the Butler matrix and the additional Butler matrix, a total number of antenna elements of the set of antenna elements and the set of additional antenna elements, and a number of second output ports of the switch is equal to a number of streams of the one or more streams, and In some aspects, the means for receiving the one or more streams includes means for receiving the one or more streams without digital beamforming.

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